Fate of Nanaimo-Ladysmith riding hinges on mail-in votes
The winner of the Nanaimo-Ladysmith riding could be determined before the weekend as Elections Canada officials work to count mail-in ballots in a race that was too close to call on election night.
NDP candidate Lisa Marie Barron looked poised to unseat Green MP Paul Manly on Monday, with 1,001 votes between herself and the second-place finisher, Conservative Tamara Kronis.
Mail-in ballots could upset those standings, however, with Manly, the incumbent, trailing the lead by fewer than 2,800 votes.
An Elections Canada spokesperson says officials received thousands of mail-in votes for the Vancouver Island riding. Officials expect to finish verifying all the ballots by Thursday evening and begin counting them on Friday.
“They are hopeful they will be able to complete the count by end of day Friday,” said spokesperson Andrea Marantz.
Manly was one of only two Green MPs in Canada when Parliament was dissolved, having won the seat in a 2019 byelection.
In a Twitter post late on election night, Manly thanked his supporters, but added, “even with 8,000 special ballots remaining to be counted on Friday, the current margin will be hard to overcome.”
Kronis has been silent on social media since Sep. 6, when she thanked a supporter and retweeted a Conservative party ad.
Barron, who leads in the votes counted so far, tweeted that the 36-day election campaign was “like no other.”
“While we will not know the results for a few days, I wanted to thank each one of you for your support, donations, vote and time through these past 5 weeks and beyond,” Barron said.
Nanaimo-Ladysmith is one of three B.C. ridings waiting for mail ballots to be counted before determining a result. The Richmond Centre and West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country seats are still undecided after close races.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
BREAKING London Drugs begins 'gradual reopening' on 7th day after cyberattack
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Auston Matthews was back on the ice with his teammates Saturday.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.